


Miss You

by Stark_63



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2020-04-06 13:39:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 16,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19063798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stark_63/pseuds/Stark_63
Summary: Following the Avenger’s battle with Thanos, Carol Danvers reflects on the last five years of her life, and the relationships she developed.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve never ever written any form of fan fiction before but thought it was worth a shot. Not sure how long this one will be but I’m guessing at least five chapters. Any feedback is appreciated.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following the Avenger’s battle with Thanos, Carol Danvers reflects on the last five years of her life, and the relationships she developed.

  Two weeks had passed since the battle for the fate of the universe. Thanos and his unearthly army was gone, never to return. The trillions of beings he killed were back from the dead and safe. But what did it cost? Everything. In Carol Danvers’ eyes at least.

  Considering his reputation as a narcissist and the size of his ego, Tony Stark’s send off had been a simple affair with only close friends and allies invited to mark his passing. Carol felt like she shouldn’t be there; she only had a short time with him, but Clint had persuaded her to go as Natasha’s representative, which was an offer she could never refuse. Now, however, she sat alone on the porch of Tony’s lakeside cabin, as the others gathered inside to reflect on their many years with Tony and all he had done for the world. Carol tapped the rim of her seventh glass of bourbon in her hand as she gazed out at the tranquil scene before her.

  She raised the glass and took a slow sip of the amber liquid, savouring the feeling of it burning its way down her throat and warming her chest. While the whole world mourned the loss of its best defender, Carol mourned the loss of so much more. The love of her life, her reason to keep fighting, the only person who could love her despite her flaws. Carol had never planned to fall in love again, least of all with Natasha Romanoff, when she returned to Earth after many long years away, but life has a funny way of surprising people like that. As she finished her drink and poured another one to replace it, Carol closed her eyes and began to reminisce over the last five years of her life.


	2. Shaping up to be a damn good friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carol’s first key memory of her time with Nat, shortly after meeting her.

Five years previously........

  “I went for the head....” Thor answered as he exited the dilapidated shack leaving the remaining Avengers standing over Thanos’ headless corpse in a state of bewilderment. Silently Nebula closed her father’s eyes and bowed her head in mourning. The Avengers quietly left her alone as they waited outside.

  They soon followed Thor back towards the ship, with Natasha and Carol at the rear of the group. Both women had faces hard as stone but Nat’s eyes betrayed the fact she was troubled by her innermost thoughts. Noticing the pained look in Nat’s green eyes, Carol gently asked, “Natasha...you okay?”, unsure of how the spy would react. “Couldn’t be better; now leave me be” she replied shortly before walking off to catch up with Steve. Carol murmured to herself as she sighed and continued walking. The flight back to the compound was quiet; with the various emotions running high nobody sure what to say that wouldn’t cause some sort of argument and so they all remained silent.

  An hour after their return to the compound, Carol was sat in her new room staring blankly out of the window unable to stop her mind from overthinking the events of the past three days. News of Fury’s death had shattered Carol’s heart into a million pieces, but at first all she felt was anger and a need for revenge. Now Thanos was no more, she was only just beginning to experience the sorrow and guilt of losing him. Silently, a tear slipped down Carol’s cheek as she realised she had answered Fury’s call too late to do anything meaningful except perhaps avenge him. As the minutes slowly passed, Carol’s tears began to fall more frequently as her stone facade crumbled, revealing the young Air Force pilot hidden underneath the hard Starforce exterior.

  The fragile looking blonde took a shower in an attempt to clear her mind. However, Danvers was unable keep her mind from drifting back to one single thing. Natasha. There was something about her that Carol couldn’t seem to place. After reading Nat’s file, she saw similarities between the two of them; both women had their past lives taken from them in order to aid a corrupt system, costing them loved ones along the way. They understood what each other had been through and how it shaped them into the women they are today.

  A firm knock on the door snapped Carol out of her thoughts and back to reality. “Come in” she called from the bathroom, wrapping herself in a fresh white dressing gown as a familiar blonde woman walked into her room. Something was off; Nat was quiet and kept fidgeting with the end of her t-shirt, as if she wasn’t sure how to begin the conversation. “I’m sorry.” Nat said simply, shyly. Carol’s brow furrowed in confusion. “What for?”. Nat sighed before continuing. “The way I was earlier, I didn’t mean to be so short with you it’s just.... he’s dead, we avenged everyone and yet it feels like we’ve failed. They’re still dead. The universe is in chaos and it’s our fault.” Nat admitted with tears threatening to fall. Carol approached Nat, and gently led her to sit on the bed. She placed one arm around Nat and used her free hand to rub small circles across the back of Nat’s hand. “None of this is your fault Nat, not you personally or the Avengers. You all did the your best and nobody can ask anymore of you than that. I know I haven’t known you very long but I can tell you fight for what’s right. That’s important. Keep fighting for justice. Fury wouldn’t want us to give up just because he’s gone.” As she listened to Carol’s words, Nat felt her tears fall gently down her cheeks. She let out a heavy sigh and rested her head on Carol’s shoulder. “You know something Danvers? For a woman I met a few days ago, you’re shaping up to be a damn good friend”. Carol chuckled in response, “Same to you Romanoff. Same to you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was okay I think? Idk I’ve always struggled to assess my own writing but oh well. I’ve decided this story won’t follow Endgame’s plot 100% but there will only be minor changes here and there.
> 
>  
> 
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> 
> Thanks for reading.


	3. Sometimes the best we can do is start over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nat helps Carol with her grief and keeps her off a dark path.

  Carol was approaching the Rambeau house late on a cool summer evening. The grass was damp beneath her boots and the sky, clear of clouds, was shining with stars. As she breathed in the smell of nature and listened to the various chirping birds, she heard short bursts of high pitched laughter coming from Monica, causing her to smile.

  However, with each step closer to the house laughter became screams. Uncontrollable, fear filled screams. Carol burst into a sprint, barging through the front door and into the front room. “Monica! Are you okay? What is it?” Carol asked with panic filling her voice. The young girl looked up from the pile of ash she was sat in, straight into Carol’s eyes. “Mom’s dead.....and now I am too” she told Carol coldly, as she began to fade away into nothing. “You were supposed to protect us! You’re a failure!” Monica screamed before the remainder of her torso and head fell to dust.

  Carol awoke in a cold sweat, shaking violently from the nightmare, as tears began to stream down her tired looking face. It was the same nightmare she’d had every night since learning that Maria and Monica had fallen victim to the Decimation. Since learning that she failed her promise to come back and see them, to keep them safe from danger. Carol saw nothing but their faces whenever she tried to sleep. Their deaths combined with Fury’s had become a burden of guilt she was struggling so hard to carry. While on the outside she looked like the ever emotionless Kree warrior, inside Carol longed for something to ease her pain. Checking her alarm clock, she saw it was 5:40am and the sun was slowly rising. Carol got out of bed, threw on some black sweats and a t shirt before heading down to the kitchen.

The sleek, modern kitchen was deserted when Carol arrived, for which she was eternally grateful. Danvers headed for the fridge, opening the door and debating what she wanted to drink. She unconsciously took a bottle of beer out of the fridge and flipped the cap off. As Carol raised the bottle to her lips, she eyed it cautiously. She ignored the voice in her head chastising her and gave into the temptation of the cool alcoholic drink. “Not like I’m binge drinking anyway....I’m allowed one here and there”, the less serious half of her mind told her as she chugged back the beer. After downing that bottle quicker than anticipated, Carol saw no harm in repeating the process with two more bottles. As she sat by at the breakfast bar with her forehead rested against her hand, her mind began to wonder back to Maria and Monica, Fury, Talos and everyone else who she had failed. Carol shot towards the fridge desperate to find more alcohol to numb her pain, thanking whatever god there may be as her eyes locked onto a bottle of wine.

  Carol had just finished the last drop of the dark red liquid when she heard someone coming down the stairs. She dried her eyes, hid the bottle under the sink and headed towards the coffee machine, hoping the visitor wouldn’t notice she’d been drinking. “You’re up early Danvers” she heard Nat’s sleep filled voice say, causing her to smile to herself. “What can I say? I’ve never been a good sleeper... how come you’re awake at this hour then?” Nat lent against the kitchen worktop, “The same reason to be honest, the longer I sleep the more chance there is for nightmares to creep in. Want to talk about your’s?” Carol turned to Nat with a dumbfounded expression on her face,” What do you mean? I’m fine”, Carol’s words trailed off when she saw Nat smile sadly. “If you’re fine then how come you smell like Stark tower after our last Christmas party and look like you just cried every last tear out of your body? I get if you don’t wanna talk about it, but don’t lie.” Nat said firmly but with obvious tones of concern lacing her words. Carol knew she had no easy way out and so sighed before sitting down and looking up at Nat then back down to her lap. “I..... umm..... well.....” Carol began, feeling herself tear up again as she looked up at Nat’a concerned face. The look Nat gave Carol made her whole facade crumble to dust as she sobbed quietly. “Look I don’t wanna trouble you with it. It’s just I thought I’d only lost Fury to Thanos. I was wrong. There were two women, my best friend and her daughter. We went through thick and thin together. Then they cared for me when I came back to earth in the 90s after being taken by the Kree... I promised I’d keep them safe and I failed them. And now... now they’re dead because of me.” Carol looked down into her lap, riddled with guilt and shame, unable to look Nat in the eyes.

  After a few moments she felt a pair of soft, warm arms snake around her shoulders and shuddered as Nat’s chin came to rest on top of her head. “Don’t you dare blame yourself for this Carol; there’s no way you can be all over the universe fighting the good fight as well as fighting here on Earth. What Thanos did? That’s on nobody’s head but his own. We all tried our best to stop him and we failed. Now the world has changed and none of us can go back. All we can do is our best, and sometimes the best that we can do is to start over. Remember those we’ve lost while we move forward. It’s going to be so hard I won’t lie to you, but you can do this Carol. We can do this.” Nat said while stroking Carol’s hair gently. Carol looked up at Nat, the tears slowly spilling down her cheeks before she whispered, “Thank you Nat, I needed to hear that.” Nat chuckled lightly, “Hey we’re both on a first name basis now Carol, it’s only taken like two weeks.” Carol giggled softly in response while she wrapped her arms around Nat’s waist, savouring their ongoing hug. Nat kissed the top of Carol’s head lightly before pulling her to her feet, “let’s go for a walk. It’s beautiful round here in the morning.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I was wrong when I said it’ll be around a 5 chapter story; I was just going to do highlights from each of the five years in Endgame but I’m really digging the way this chapter went and want to explore Nat and Carol in more depth. Also I stole my favourite quote from the Endgame trailers cuz I feel it’s super relatable to how Carol and Nat would be feeling. Enjoy ;)


	4. What do you want?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carol and Nat’s friendship has been evolving over the last few months. It’s about to take another step up.

   After their heart-to-heart on that early morning, Carol and Nat had started to spend more time together, sliding into a comfortable routine and developing a strong friendship. Most mornings the two women trained together, perfecting their almost flawless combat skills as well as trading fight and defence techniques with each other. “Not bad but could’ve been better” Nat said as she helped Carol back up off the crash mat. Carol rolled her eyes before responding, “Gimme a break, you’ve been doing this stuff since you were like 10, I’ve been doing it 10 minutes.” Nat smirked at Carol, “Don’t get feisty with me Danvers or I’ll kick your ass... again,” she teased as she went to get two bottles of water. As the two Avengers took a break and rehydrated their bodies for a second bout, Carol admired Nat silently. The minute details of her body were emphasised by her workout gear and Carol blushed slightly as she took in the details of Nat’s muscular legs, up to her curved yet firm hips past her toned abdomen before setting her eyes on Nat’s face. Carol loved everything about it, the soft yet definite jaw line, her mesmerising dark green eyes, full and coloured lips all framed by her short platinum blonde hair. As Carol got more and more lost in Nat’s features, she felt a light punch on the arm which jolted her back to reality. “Huh sorry what?” Carol stuttered out before turning as red as a tomato. Nat burst into laughter before smirking at Carol, “You know Danvers if you wanna check me out you could’ve been a little more subtle about it” she teased before winking and heading off towards the training mats.

   “Are you ready for round two or are you still checking me out” Nat shouted to Carol, causing Carol to laugh and charge head-on towards Nat, using her brute force to tackle the spy to the ground and hold her there. “You got me here Danvers. I’m stuck” Nat admitted, looking sad at being defeated. Carol proudly smiled which was just the distraction Nat needed to flip Carol over and straddle her waist. “Damnit” a winded Carol muttered. “What’s wrong Carol? Can’t handle it when I’m on top” Nat flirted as she tightened her legs around Carol’s hips causing her to whimper slightly, as both women to blush furiously. “Nat I.....” Carol began breathlessly but the words died on her tongue as she locked eyes with Nat who was slowly inching her face closer to Carol’s. As their lips were centimetres apart, Nat heard the outer door to the gym crash open, causing her to leap off Carol and act as if the past few minutes had never happened. The inner gym door swung open to reveal a tired looking Steve in his workout gear. “Morning Nat, Carol. I figured you’d be here by now” he said cheerily as he walked towards the centre of the room. “Finally dragged your ass outta bed did you Steve” Nat teased earning an eye roll from the captain. “You know what Romanoff...?” He replied with a cheeky grin on his face. As the two best friends chatted, neither of them noticed a disheartened and embarrassed Carol slip out of the gym and into the locker room.

   Standing under the cold shower water, Carol’s mind raced with a mixture of emotions. She’d nearly been kissed by Nat but then Nat leapt off her like she was some kind of monster. Carol was scared if she were to be honest with herself. Scared of what the events in the gym meant for her and Nat....did Nat feel the same way that Carol did? Although they’d known each other just a few months, Carol had fallen hard for Nat; she was a rock for her in these hard times and stopped her going back down the dark path of alcohol abuse, for which she would be forever grateful. As the pilot began to wash her sweat covered body, she wished dearly that there was somebody she could ask for advice. Danvers had never been good at relationships and certainly wasn’t going to get any better anytime soon. She sighed deeply as she continued to clean herself off.

   Back in the gym Nat interrupted Steve with a concerned look. “Hey where’d Carol go?” Steve looked around in confusion “Weird, I thought she was still across by the mats. Maybe she just went to shower.” Steve paused for a moment, considering whether or not to ask the question he already knew the answer to. “So, what’s happening with you two anyway Nat? And don’t play dumb, it’s obvious you like each other,” Steve said as he crossed his arms. “I don’t know....I’ve never felt like this about anyone before. I was seconds away from kissing her when you walked in and then I started to freak out after I got up. I wanted to kiss her but what happens if she doesn’t feel the same? I’ve ruined an amazing friendship with the woman I can’t afford to lose. I just don’t wanna mess it up, Steve.” Nat admitted quietly. Steve placed his hand on Nat’s shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Look Nat, just tell her how you feel. I can see the way she looks at you and it’s the same way you look at her. You’re just scared because this is all new to you, but as the king of waiting too long, don’t. You both deserve to be happy so don’t let fear put you off.” Nat leant forward and kissed Steve’s cheek. “Thanks Rogers, you always know what to say....must come from being so old and wise eh?” Steve laughed before he told Nat to go find Danvers.

   As Carol sat hunched forward on the locker room bench, Nat silently walked in and leant against the door frame. “If you think any louder I might be able to hear you” Nat said quietly causing Carol to jump slightly. “What do you want?” She asked quietly, continuing to stare at the floor. Nat sat down by Carol, cupped her cheek and brought her eyes up to look into her own green ones. “You” Nat whispered as she slowly closed the gap between them, planting her trembling lips on Carol’s soft warm ones. The two women melted into each other, gently caressing each other as their kiss deepened, causing Carol to moan softly. Slowly they broke the kiss, resting their foreheads against each other’s as they breathed deeply. “Nat...I....I’m not” Carol stuttered before Nat gently shushed her. “Carol Danvers you’ve become a rock for me and I’m so grateful; I need you in my life whatever it takes. I’ve never done relationships before so I’m scared out of my mind on the inside but I’ll do anything for you, for this, just a chance to be with you,” she spoke gently as she watch Carol’s face reacting to her words. “Nat, I feel the same; I think you’re the most wonderful person I’ve ever met and I want to stay with you as long as I can.” They kissed again, softly with gentle passion for each other’s touch before Nat whispered “So are you gonna take me on a proper date then Captain?” Carol laughed, kissing Nat on the cheek, “Of course Ma’am; you just name a time and place.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess I lied when I said it would be a slow burn for Nat and Carol... I just didn’t want to write lots of filler chapters before they start to fall for each other. Updates will probably slow down a bit for the rest of the week now that I’ll be busy again starting tomorrow. Thanks for reading.


	5. Anything for you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carol gets ready to take Nat on an actual date, things go better than she expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Contains some strong language and nudity.
> 
> I’ve had a little rewrite of some bits here and there as well as adding some in. The whole chapter wasn’t sitting right with me for some reason; it felt rushed and so I’ve tried to slow it down and expand it a bit more.

   “Danvers will you calm down for God’s sake!? You’re going to have a breakdown at this rate!” Steve said rubbing his face with his hands. Carol sat on her bed breathing deeply, “I’m shitting it Steve! I haven’t been on a date since 1992!” Carol whisper-shouted at him. “Look you two like each other, you’ve got nothing to worry about, just act how you’d act with her normally and it’ll be fine, i promise. Now stand up I wanna see if you look okay.” Carol did as she was asked, as a Steve took in her outfit: black boots paired with black skinny jeans, and a dark green t-shirt which was paired with her old Air Force jacket. Steve smiled at her before giving her a hug, ”You look great Cap,” he said earning a smile, “Thanks Cap,” she replied as she moved toward the door.

   Carol headed down to Nat’s quarters and knocked her door. The door opened slowly revealing a nervous looking Natasha. Carol was awestruck by Nat’s outfit. She wore brown heeled boots with dark blue skinny jeans, a red sweater and her light brown leather jacket. Her hair was lightly curled and Clint’s arrow necklace dangled round her neck. “You look amazing Nat, truly amazing,” Carol said admiring her from head to toe. “Thank you... you don’t look too bad yourself Captain Danvers,” Nat said as she ran her hand down Carol’s jacket, brushing her thumb over the the patch with Carol’s surname stitched into it. The two women linked hands and headed towards the garage.

   The drive from the compound down to Brooklyn was comfortably quiet for the most part, with the women making the occasional comment as they passed various places in the city. Nat was busy pointing out various places she and the original Avengers had fought off the Chitauri as they passed through Manhattan before Carol gasped. “That’s quiet a monument,” she said, pointing toward the statue of the Avengers above Grand Central Station. “Oh god don’t, I’m supposed to be a super spy and the city council put my face on a massive statue.” The duo laughed heartily as Carol turned down a quieter street, causing Nat’s brow to furrow. “I recognise this street but can’t remember why,” she stated, noticing Carol’s smirk. “You will soon,” Carol replied as they arrived at a small Italian restaurant that Nat hadn’t visited since her and Steve had been SHIELD partners five years previously. Natasha smiled as Carol opened the passenger side door for her, and took her hand as she stepped out of the SUV. “I used to come here with Steve all the time when we were working with SHIELD,” Nat said sheepishly. Carol smiled before admitting she may have asked Steve for advice, causing Nat to laugh as they headed inside.

   The restaurant was small but spacious enough to feel as though you could enjoy yourself without being overheard. The decor was cliche; dark wooden furniture with the red, green and white of Italy’s flag being used on table cloths and napkins alike. There were only a few other customers eating, which allowed the soundtrack of instrumental covers of popular songs to be heard clearly. An older fellow with a white moustache approached them, “Evening ladies, do you have a reservation?” Carol smiled at the host, taking note his name badge, “Hi there Stanley, I booked a table for two, name’s Danvers.” He escorted the women to their table, which was set off to the more private corner of the restaurant, giving them a view out onto the quiet New York street.

   Nat and Carol talked about anything and everything while they waited for their order to be taken. “How has Thor being doing since we found Thanos?” Nat asked Carol as she reviewed the wine list. “Not good I won’t lie, he drinks a lot, even by his standards. I know Earth strength stuff isn’t going to kill him or anything but I don’t think that’s the point you know? He’s just lost everything and has nowhere to go,” Carol admitted sadly. “Well maybe we can help him find purpose again,” Nat suggested, earning a smile and firm nod from Carol.

   The two women seemed even more at ease now, sat here on a date than before they’d confessed their feelings. A waiter came over and took their orders before leaving them to talk again. “I’ve got a question....which you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to but....how long have you, you know....liked me?” Carol asked shyly, earning an affection smile from Nat. “Truthfully? The night you arrived you made a lasting impression on me; you reminded me of Fury- confident, sassy and sure of your abilities. I admire that in a person. As I got to know you I realised how similar we are, but unlike me you totally overcame all the shit you’ve been through to become a genuine hero. You’re a role model for all of us and I’d love to become even half the woman you are.” As Nat finished her explanation, Carol felt tears welling up, blinking rapidly to stop them falling. She opened her mouth to reply when their food arrived, stopping her from doing so.

   They ate their meals while discussing their co-avengers and what plans they had for the future before Nat steered them back to their earlier conversation. “What about you then? When did you realise you ‘liked me’ too?” Carol didn’t hesitate to reply, “I knew you meant something to me an hour after I met you. Don’t get me wrong I’m no believer in love at first sight but they way you remained composed as you explained the horrors to me, the way you were there standing strong while everyone was breaking down. It made me realise that although you looked so beautifully delicate, you were the strongest thing on the planet.” Nat looked at Carol with thankful eyes as she whispered a thank you to her. Nat began to think about the new world they found themselves in; to wake up one morning with a family and then see them disappear before you would be enough to make even the strongest mind feel hopeless. And yet Nat felt strangely optimistic for once, while it was true that Nat and Carol for that matter, had lost Fury to Thanos, the two had found each other, which Nat firmly believed would delight the late great director.

   An hour, and two delicious courses later the two women decided it was time to head home. As the approached the bar, the friendly face of Stanley greeted them once again, “Was everything to your satisfaction tonight ladies?” He asked with a smile. Carol gave him $120 dollars, insisting he keep the change before thanking him for the most wonderful evening she’d had in years. “Fantastic!” Stanly beamed, “In these hard times we all need to remain true believers in each other and appreciate what we’ve got left. There’s an old Latin word that us folks round here- Excelsior! It means ever upward,” Stanley explained with a wholesome smile. Carol squeezed Nat’s hand, “We certainly do.” The ladies bid him farewell and headed back to the compound.

   Back home, linked arm in arm, Carol led Nat back to her quarters. As they stopped in front of her door, Nat turned to face Carol, gently caressing her cheek. “Thank you for the first proper date I’ve ever had Captain Danvers,” Nat said gently as she pulled Carol in for a long passionate kiss. “You’re more than welcome Agent Romanoff,” Carol replied before kissing Nat passionately in return. Brown eyes met green as both women inched closer together. They held each other as they locked their lips together again, lustfully causing the spy to moan into the kiss. Nat opened her door and pulled Carol inside, their lips not separating once. The two women began kissing each other hungrily as they shed their clothes piece by piece, admiring each other’s toned and battle scarred bodies. Nat led Carol to her bed, roaming her hands over the pilot’s body, desperate to explore every inch of it. Carol straddled Nat’s waist and held her head while their tongues battled for dominance. After what felt like an eternity, Carol was arched over Nat kissing down her neck and along her collarbone. As she sucked the spy’s pulse point, Nat raked her nails down Carol’s back causing Carol to bite down on her collarbone in retaliation. Nat clenched her teeth and moaned in pleasure, “Oh fuck me” she whispered, “Anything for you,” Carol murmured in reply as she slowly kissed, sucked and bit her way down Nat’s toned torso towards her thighs.


	6. I could never forget you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As things are going so well for the two Avengers, Carol makes a revelation that Nat sees as the end.

   Sunlight filtered in through the window, casting a golden glow over the two sleeping avengers, giving them an angelic appearance. Nat’s eyes fluttered open as memories of last night came flooding back to her. She smiled as she ran her fingertips over her lips and across her lightly bruised and grazed collarbone. To her left she saw Carol sleeping peaceful with the sun highlighting her beautiful face. Nat kissed her cheek and gently whispered, “I adore you Carol Danvers,” before wrapping her arm around Carol and settling back into bed.

   When Nat awoke again she found the bed was empty causing panic to shoot through her entire body. As she sat there replaying last nights events to find where she went wrong, her bedroom door opened slowly to reveal Carol holding a tray of coffee and food. “I thought you might be hungry,” she said sheepishly as she sat down alongside Nat offering her coffee and various breakfast items. “God how has nobody snapped you up as their girl already,” Nat replied, taking a long sip of her coffee. “Oh I’m your girl am I now Romanoff?” Nat blushed furiously before stammering, “No well maybe I don’t know....do you, you know....want to be?” She asked slowly, her heart beating so fast she felt like it would burst. Carol simply leaned forward and planted a passionate kiss on Natasha’s lips, “There’s nothing I’d want more.”

   “Took my advice then Romanoff,” Steve greeted while smirking into his coffee. Nat smiled from ear to ear, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks as she walked across the kitchen for more coffee. “Jealous you’re the only single one left Rogers?” Steve only laughed in response but went quiet when Carol walked in. They greeted each other before he hid his smirk behind his mug of coffee again.

   Shortly after, the remaining Avengers were all gathered in the compound’s meeting room, discussing what plans they had for the foreseeable future. “Well, what’s left of the Secret Service are desperate for help so that’s where I’m going,” said Rhodey calmly. Nebula and Rocket had both agreed to visit nearby planets to see if there was anything they could do to help, meaning they’d be gone for several months at a time, if not years. “Has anyone heard from Tony?” Steve asked cautiously. “He’s not answering my calls so he’s certainly not going to answer anyone else’s,” Rhodey replied with a sigh. Throughout this two hour meeting Nat had remained hopeful, calm and collected. Until Carol had revealed her plans. “Im going to head back to my quadrant of the galaxy and see what’s what. If things are as bad as they were, then they’ll need all the help they can get.” Thor noticed the shift in Romanoff’s posture and decided the women needed to be alone. “Rabbit, Nebula, come with me; I need your help with a small personal matter,” he boomed as he ushered the two remaining guardians out of the conference room. Rhodey stood to leave, muttering something about running diagnostics on his suit before he left.

   As the two women sat alone, Nat found herself unable to speak to or even look at the woman she loved. “Nat, please talk to me, say something,” Carol pleaded. “I thought we had something Carol, but now? Now you’re leaving me alone like everyone else always has. It’s not fair, I thought for once in my life I’d have a chance to be happy.” Carol stood, trying so hard not to cry as she offered Nat her hand and pleaded with her to follow along to Carol’s room. The pair walked in silence to Carol’s quarters, before Nat sat on her bed, numb with emotion. Carol walked over to Nat, clutching her Air Force Jacket in her hands. She sat down and fished something out of the inner pocket before she faced to Nat. Carol took her left hand and placed a silver ring with a small diamond sitting on top into her hand. “I’m sorry; This is the ring I proposed to Maria with way back when; after everything that happened she made me promise to save it for the right person. That’s you. I know we haven’t known each other even a year yet but I love you Natasha Romanoff. These past ten months have given me some of the best memories of my life, and I want to keep making new ones with you. But I can’t sit on my ass while people suffer out there, knowing that I have the power to help them. You too have that power.” Carol wiped a lone tear from Nat’s cheek as she placed the ring on Nat’s left ring finger and held her hand tightly. “I love you, so so much,” Carol whispered as she closed the gap between her lips and Nat’s. As the kiss broke, their eyes locked, “I love you too Carol,” Nat whispered, as their lips met again. Sadness was suddenly replaced by passion and lust, a longing to touch and taste each other as Carol’s arms snaked around Nat, pulling the spy into her lap. The two women melted into each other’s embrace, feeling lost in their own world as their tongues explored each other’s mouths. “Natasha....” Carol breathed as Nat’s hands roamed over her body and down between her thighs.

   “When will you leave?” Nat asked as she kissed along Carol’s upper back, and held onto her waist. “Tomorrow I think, the longer I put it off then the less I’ll want to go...not that I want to go anyway.” She replied. “It’s the right thing to do Carol,” Nat stated as she stroked Carol’s hair. “I know I know, but you’re not gonna be with me,” Carol whispered. “Then let’s make a night to remember....” Nat whispered into Carol’s each as she kissed Carol’s neck and pulled her down under the sheets.

   The following morning Nat, Carol, and Steve were gathered on the lawn outside the compound, biding farewell to Carol. ”Give ‘em hell up there Captain Danvers,” Steve said as he pulled the woman in for a bear hug. “I’ll do my best Captain Rogers,” she replied before giving him a salute. Steve returned the salute before taking a few steps back to allow the women their intimate farewells. “I’ll miss you Danvers,” Nat murmured as Carol buried her face in Nat’s shoulders. “I’d be disappointed if you didn’t Romanoff” she replied, pulling her in for a long passionate kiss. As the two women broke apart, Captain Marvel began to glow softly as she rose slowly off the ground. “I’m coming back to you Nat, don’t go forgetting me.” Nat raised her left hand, proudly showing off her ring finger. “I could never forget you Carol. Never.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There’s gonna be time jumps from now on, I’ll leave a note about how long each one is in each relevant chapter, but this is just a general heads up. The first time jump will be a year or so.


	7. Lonely

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little insight into Nat’s year on Earth without Carol.

           Four months later.....  
   The sound of her alarm clock abruptly woke Nat from her deep sleep and pleasant dreams. She ran a hand down her face, rubbed her heavy eyes and sighed. After allowing herself a few minutes lie-in to wake up properly, the spy clambered out of bed and walked down to the kitchen.

   As she walked the corridor from her quarters to the communal kitchen the compound was deadly silent. Shortly after Carol, Rhodey, Rocket and Nebula left, Thor had also bid his farewells before setting off with a black Asguardian woman who Nat didn’t know to find the surviving Asguardians a new place to call home. An admirable, honest cause to say the least and yet Nat missed the Thunder God more than she thought she would. His booming voice, his witty jokes but most of all, his Shakespearean sense of humour and culture that was so hilariously out of place in modern times. Nat smiled as she thought of happier times with her co-Avengers. Simple things like how they’d all sit together Saturday nights drinking beer and playing board games; or how they all hated the way Stark forced them to attend his charity galas- they were glad to help but hated the additional publicity.

   Finally Nat entered the compound’s huge kitchen-diner area. She stopped and analysed the room. Yet again she found herself reminded just how alone she was these days. A kitchen big enough to feed a squad of soldiers was now used by two people, and it showed. Areas Steve and Nat used regularly were perfectly clean and organised, but areas they didn’t- such as the second and third ovens, dining table and mini bar- were covered with a thick layer of dust. Nat sighed as she approached the coffee machine, noticing a small thermos flask with a note alongside it. Steve was already awake then, she summarised. “Saves you the hassle Nat, I’ll be down in the city for the morning. Don’t spend all day brooding again.... Steve x” Cheeky bastard she thought with a smile as she opened the flask and savoured the strong smell of black coffee. Brooding wasn’t the word Nat would’ve used to describe her actions the last few days, reflecting was a better word she felt.

   Reflecting on times before Tony and Steve fell out, before the decimation. God Nat missed those times. The times the original six Avengers would come home battered and bruised from a fight but still relentlessly tease each other as they are together. Even the later years with the new Avengers had been amazing for the spy. She missed Wanda. While the two distrusted each other at first, they soon developed a strong friendship over their mutual love European history and culture. Nat smiled to herself as she remembered he times her and Wanda would visit museums or watch European films to feed their passion as the other Avengers rolled their eyes at the ladies. Sam had been particularly adverse to their shared interest. There was another man she missed like crazy. Sure he was a pain in the ass, but he was one of those pains in the ass that brightened your day and made you laugh when you felt down.

   Nat tapped her hand on the flask as she cradled it, causing her diamond ring to jangle. Nat smiled fondly at the ring, as memories of Carol Danvers came back into her mind. While Natasha was endlessly proud of her partner, she wished she were here. When Carol was around, Nat felt completely relaxed, a feeling until now only Clint had been able to cause in her. She felt as though she could truly be herself- not the badass Avenger, or super spy- but Natasha Romanoff; a woman who enjoyed ballet, socialising with friends and reading endless amounts of books- and not be judged for it. Nat planted a gentle kiss on the diamond atop her ring and whispered a quick “I love you” to Carol as she finished her coffee and headed for the gym.

                Five months later.....

  
   As Nat sat at her desk reading her latest report from Rhodey, she felt everything begin to rattle about, realising something was landing outside. Nat bolted for the front lawn, barely having time to stop before crashing into Steve. As Nat straightened herself out, Rocket and Nebula descended the ramp of their ship with weary faces. Nebula greeted Steve before approaching Nat with a small box. “This is for you from the Captain. We crossed her path about six weeks ago and she asked us to pass it on.” The woman stated as she handed the box over to Nat. “Thank you Nebula, it means a lot,” Nat replied, earning her a pat on the shoulder and smile in response. Nat tucked the box under her arm for later before walking to Rocket and patting his head. “How’s it looking out there?” She asked. Rocket merely sighed before answering, “Depends where you go to be honest blondie. Some planets are starting to pick up the pieces of their old lives but other ones have become free-for-all’s- between survivors and inter-planetary criminals alike. We’ve been doing our best but it’s hard with just us two, and sometimes the help of locals. Nat nodded and hummed in response. “Seeing as you’re back for a little while let’s all have dinner... I’ve really missed you all,” she admitted quietly as the four of them headed indoors.

   The team sat together at the dining table- it’s first time being used in seven months- as they ate and drank their way through pizza and beer. Rocket let out a long, loud and disgusting burp, earning him a disapproving look from Steve and Nebula but a hearty laugh from Nat. Steve eyed Nat like a parent eyes their misbehaving child before she pouted, “Oh cmon Rogers it’s a raccoon eating pizza, drinking beer and burping like Thor would. You’ve gotta admit it’s a little bit funny.” Steve smirked before he admitted defeat and decided to turn in for the night, deciding he should get some rest before he left again for his therapy group the following morning.

  “How are you coping here Romanoff?” Nebula asked as she pushed back from her now empty plate and sat back in her chair. “Not bad I guess, I’m trying to liaise between the remaining Avengers, the Stark Relief Foundation and a handful of world governments to try and conduct a census of who’s still alive but it’s just taking so long. We’ve been at it a year and haven’t even confirmed a half of the world’s population.” Nat explained tiredly. “Hey that’s still pretty damn impressive of you blondie,” Rocket chimed in as Nebula nodded in agreement. “And what about you? You personally?” Nebula continued “I’m not bad....I get lonely sometimes I won’t lie, just spending my days here working in the office or working out in the gym; I’m just glad Steve’s still around to give me someone to talk to. I’ve missed you guys a lot- Rocket’s straight talking and your sass. And I’m missing Carol a lot. I knew I would but I didn’t think it would be this bad,” Nat confessed. Nebula squeezed her hand gently, “She misses you too Nat, she was thrilled that we ran into her because she was desperate for you to get the box I gave you. I don’t know what’s in there but it must be important. She also gave me her word she’d be home for Christmas? I don’t know if that means anything to you but it’s what she said.” Nat laughed lightly before she thanked Nebula and promised to explain Christmas to her in the morning. Nat bid them goodnight and headed to her room.

   In the privacy of her room, Nat slowly removed the brown paper from the box Carol had left her to reveal a small rectangular steel container. She curiously lifted the lid to reveal a handwritten note and a collection of Polaroid photographs.

 _Nat, I wanted to give you these photos in person but encountering Rocket and Nebula seemed like the perfect opportunity to get them home quicker. You probably remember I spent loads of time with my ‘stupidly vintage camera’ as you called it, snapping pictures of random things, but not all of them were random. Enclosed in this box are photographs of you, of me and of us from the short time we’ve already spent together. I’d like you to start a scrapbook for us with these photos filling up the first pages. I miss you so so much, you’re all I think about. The thought of coming back to you keeps me fighting up here everyday. I know you’re struggling as much as me and I’m sorry we’re apart but I’ll be back to you in time for Christmas and man am I gonna make it up to you._  
I love you Nat,  
Carol xxx

_P.S. Don’t show anyone those photos or I’ll kick your ass x_

   Nat smiled happily as the tears gently rolled down her cheeks. She pressed her lips to the page, murmuring, “I love you too Carol,” as she began to look through the photographs. Nat realised she didn’t even know Carol had taken most of these; there was a photo of Nat sprawled across her bed fast asleep as the sunlight shone in through the window, giving her pale skin an angelic glow. Another showed her curled up underneath a blanket in an armchair wearing one of Carol’s t shirts, reading an old worn hardback book. Carol began appearing in the photographs now causing Nat’s smile to widen further. There was a photo of the two women in Stanley’s diner seated at the same table they had their first date on. Another showed the two of them curled up on the sofa asleep. Nat had no doubt that Carol persuaded Steve to snap that one once they’d drifted off. As Nat looked through the remaining few photos she wished December would come quicker. After silently and happily. remembering all her memories of Carol, surrounded by photographs of said memories, Nat cleared away photos gently as she settled into bed and fell into the first relaxed sleep she’d had since Carol had left.

              Two months later.....

  
    Nat had a feeling sleep wouldn’t come easy tonight and god had she been right. It was December the 23rd and Carol still hadn’t made it home to her. She knew it was childish to wish the woman would come home sooner but she just couldn’t help it, she hadn’t seen her for eleven months and each day became harder to get through. Nat sighed as she rolled over, noticing it was now 11pm. As she lay their she felt a bright light flash through her window, causing her to sit bolt up right and head to her balcony door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A chapter set at Christmas published in June.....I wouldn’t normally do it but it seemed to fit best when I was writing it. Enjoy


	8. Merry Christmas Agent Romanoff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carol’s back on Earth after a year away. It’s Christmas time and the festivities bring back an unexpected friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I know I’ve basically written a Christmas special in June like the last chapter but I couldn’t help it. Don’t judge me for it.

   As Nat fumbled the door open, a familiar blonde woman in red, gold and blue suit landed softly on the balcony. “Hey Agent Romanoff....long time no see,” Carol said nonchalantly. Nat raised an eyebrow at her, “And what time do you call this Captain Danvers?” She replied disapprovingly, before they embraced so tightly they both had trouble breathing. As they pulled back slightly to allow a look into each other’s faces, both women saw silent tears of joy in each other’s eyes. “I’ve missed you Carol, so, so much,” Nat whispered as she placed her lips over Carol’s. Even almost a year after their last kiss, Nat felt sparks fly through her entire body as she savoured the taste and feel of Carol’s mouth. As they broke apart, Carol grazed Nat’s bottom lip with her teeth, causing the spy to moan lightly. Carol smirked as she kissed Nat’s cheek, “Cmon Romanoff....I wanna show you just how much I missed you,” Carol whispered flirtatiously as she led Nat back inside towards the bed.

  
   The two women curled up together panting heavily. “Wow, I guess you really did miss me,” Nat teased as she kissed along Carol’s jawline. Carol held Nat’s hand and stroked the diamond ring she had given her. “Nat I miss you when you go to the bathroom, I’m amazed I coped so well for a year,” she said earning a laugh from the spy. Nat kissed her way up Carol’s jaw to her ear, “Want me to show you how much I missed you now Danvers?” she whispered as her teeth gently nipped Carol’s ear lobe. Carol could only shudder in response as her lover teased the sensitive area of skin. “Winner gets breakfast in bed,” she murmured with a smirk as Nat straddled her waist and began kissing her passionately.

   The following morning, as the two lovers lay there, sleepily stealing kisses from one another and basking in each other’s presence, there was a knock at the door. “Hey sorry to disturb you two but can you come down to the lounge please? It’s important,” Steve’s muffled voices asked through the door. “Give us five minutes” Nat groaned in response, as she heard Steve shuffling away. Carol got out of bed and threw on some clothes before she headed toward the bathroom with a loud yawn. Reluctantly, Nat also got dressed, as she stretched out her stiff body, she felt a pair of arms snake round her waist as Carol kissed her cheek. “Cmon Agent Romanoff, lets see what all the fuss is about.”  
   As the couple got dressed they heard the faint notes of Christmas music coming from someone’s room down the hallway. “Hey Nat who’s room is down from yours?” Carol asked as she pulled on a white sweater. “Rhodey’s but he hates music early in the morning,” Nat replied. As Carol began to reply, the music began playing in their own room much to their surprise. As Bublé sang about trees in the grand hotel, Nat and Carol shared a look of confusion. “We should hurry up and get downstairs if we want answers.”

    Carol and Nat heard nothing but their own footsteps as neared the doorway into the compound’s main living room. As Nat walked through the door, her jaw hit the floor. Before her- spread out around the room- was Thor in an armchair; Nebula, Rhodey and Bruce on one of the sofas with Rocket stretched out on the arm. Against the floor to ceiling window wall stood a ten foot Christmas tree decorated with hand painted China baubles, warm white lights and various other expertly crafted decorations. Around the base of the tree there were small clusters of presents, each with a name card on top. Stood by the log fire- which now featured stockings embroidered with everyone’s name as well as small china Christmas trees- was Tony Stark. Nat closed her eyes and opened them again, taking in every detail of this picturesque Christmas scene. “Tony....” she breathed out in disbelief. The billionaire merely smiled at her, his hands in his pockets to keep him from fidgeting, “Merry Christmas Agent Romanoff,” he replied shyly.

    She walked up to him slowly, stopping inches from his face before she enveloped him in a tight hug, kissing his cheek and resting her head on his shoulder. “You did all this?” She asked quietly. “Sure did, I’m sick of all the bad blood between us all....plus I’ve always been a sucker for Christmas.” He replied as he gently broke their hug. “Captain Danvers,” he greeted, smiling at Carol. “Thank you for this Tony, it....it means a lot. It’s good to see you looking so well,” she replied warmly. Steve entered with a tray of drinks for everyone, as he set it down Tony gave his shoulder a squeeze, to which Steve smiled. Nat was thrilled to see them rebuilding their former relationship with each other; even if it was going to take her ten years, she was sure as hell going to make sure the two of them loved each other again. Nat was led from her thoughts as Tony stood to address everyone else.

    “So you’re all probably wondering why I’ve shown up out of the blue and decked the halls like the set of a cheesy Christmas movie. Truth be told I’m not 100% sure of much in life, but I’m sure of some things. I hate all this negativity between us. We were the best of friends; we were teammates; we were The Avengers. I miss the old days. Nat’s wisecracks about anything and everything. Having another scientist to work with. Having a literal god as a drinking partner. Hell I even miss Cap’s pre-mission pep talks. I guess I just want us all to be okay.” As Tony finished, Thor crossed the room to him before he patted his shoulder and hugged him. “Tony that was beautiful, and for the record you’re always welcome in New Asguard; all of you are, in fact,” the god of thunder said happily before he returned to his seat. The heroes all took up their drinks as Tony led them in a toast. “Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all,” he toasted simply, as the others gave their cheers and began sipping their drinks.  
   

     As everyone socialised together, Tony and Nat sat in the kitchen alone. “How do you feel?” She asked him softly. “I’m getting better. I still feel so much guilt but I’ve accepted that I can’t change what’s happened no matter how hard I try and I think that’s what’s made the difference you know? When you’ve got a chance to change things then you will but I know I can’t. I just wish Pete was still around.” Tony trailed off quietly as he sipped his coffee. Nat put her arms around him from behind, resting her head on his shoulder. “I know how you feel Tony; I feel the same about Fury and Hill. Just be thankful you’ve still got Pepper because you and I know that you’d be lost without her,” Nat said as the two old friends chuckled.”What about you and Danvers? How long ago did that start?” Tony asked, disappointed that he’d missed out on the new by not being around. “Oh about a week after she brought you and Nebula back from certain death. Took a little while to get going but then it was full steam ahead.” Nat said with a joyful smile. “You love her?” Tony asked, knowing Nat’s old opinion on the emotion. “I do Tony, I really really do. So much so that I’m going to ask her to marry me.” Nat admitted causing Tony to choke slightly on his mouthful of coffee. “What is it? Do you think I shouldn’t?” Nat asked with a slight panic before Tony gripped her arm gently. “No no it’s not that, I’m just so surprised that you’ve found someone you care about enough to marry. That’s not meant to be as insulting as it sounds Nat, I promise. I think it’s a wonderful idea......in fact, I’m going to pay for the wedding. No argument.” Nat placed her hand on Tony’s shoulder, “Thank you Tony. Thank you.” The billionaire merely smiled and took another sip of his coffee,“God seems like a thousand years ago we met in my gym. Look at us now, eleven years later....things have changed haven’t they?” Tony said reflectively. Nat smiled, as she stroked his hair, “The whole world as changed Tony, but us Avengers will always have each other.” Tony downed the rest of his coffee and sighed. “I love you Nat,” he whispered, more to himself than her, causing the spy to smile. “I love you too Tony. Always will.” She replied, kissing the top of his head. “Now cmon before Carol starts to think I’m having an affair,” Nat said, laughing.

   Back in the living room, Carol and Thor were talking animatedly about their respective adventures over the last year since they’d seen each other. “I’m so happy for you Thor; I mean it, hopefully you feel some peace now that your people have had a chance at a new life.” Thor smiled as he gave Carol’s arm light pat, “Thank you Carol; I think from here things shall improve for not just me and the Asguardians, but everybody. Speaking of which, how are you and Natasha?” Thor asked cheerfully. Carol smiled from ear to ear, “We’re good thank you. I only got back last night so we’ve not been up to much yet but Thor I’d like your advice on something to do with her....” Thor looked worried for a second before he replied. “Of course, what troubles you? He asked with concern lacing his words. Carol sighed, “I want to marry her... but don’t know if she’ll accept me. I know we’re together and have been for basically a year but that’s not a long time for two normal people....I’m worried she’ll think I’m too attached or something,” Carol admitted as Thor chuckled. “You two don’t lead normal lives, and you’re also the first person to show Natasha the same level of love that she shows someone special. I think if you haven’t proposed soon then she may be the one doing the proposing,” Thor stated as he smiled. “You love her and she loves you it’s plain as day; do it Carol,” he advised. “Thanks Thor, I knew you’d be able to help.”

    That afternoon, after the avengers had enjoyed an early Christmas dinner courtesy of Tony’s catering team; everyone was spread out across the living room, much like earlier in the morning, except that now they were mostly unable to move due to the sheer amount of food they’d consumed. Tony and Carol stood together on the patio, feeling the contrast from the warmth of the sunlight with the cool winter breeze blowing. “I never did thank you properly for saving me.” Tony said, looking at Carol who merely smiled. “Consider everything you’ve done today as a thank you Tony. Seriously you’ve outdone yourself here and it means a lot to everyone, me included.” Tony smiled as he thought to himself ‘Wait until you see your wedding day.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh so who’s gonna propose first I wonder? Time will tell. I’ve got this story planned out until the end now and I’m thinking it’ll be no less than 10 chapters but probably no more than 20.


	9. Extraordinary Timing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers gather for a small New Year’s Eve patty at the compound. Carol and Nat put their plans for each other into motion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really struggled to write this chapter for some reason, I just felt it was never any good but here it is anyway.

* * *

   “What are we supposed to say? I mean ‘Happy New Year’ isn’t exactly fitting anymore is it?” Nat asked Carol as they made preparations for the Avenger’s small New Year gathering. Carol shrugged her shoulders, pausing from preparing snack food, “I don’t know; should we all just wish each other the best?” Nat only shrugged in response as she continued cleaning the kitchen. As Carol started to plate up the bite-size pastries she’d cooked, Nat wrapped her arms around her waist and kissed along Carol’s neck. “Calm down Agent, we’ve got food to finish up....try one of these and be honest about them,” Carol said as she popped a small savoury into Nat’s mouth. “Oh. My. God!” Nat exclaimed excitedly, as she gripped Carol’s arms. “Where the hell did you learn to cook them. They’re literally amazing.” As Nat raved about Carol’s cooking, the pilot could only laugh, “Maria taught me the recipe years ago, which she got from her great aunt I believe.” Nat smiled fondly as she snaked her arms around Carol’s neck and pulled her in for a passionate kiss. “Will you cook amazing tasting food like this for me when we’re old and married Danvers?” Carol laughed lightly as she rubbed small circles on Nat’s back, “Depends.....will you be Natasha Danvers or will I be Carol Romanoff?” Nat’s faced changed from smiling to confused before going back to a smile. “I don’t care. As long as you’re mine,” she said quietly. Carol rested her forehead against Nat’s and gently pecked her lips. “I love you Nat, don’t ever forget that.”  
  
    Later that evening, everyone- Tony and Pepper included- was gathered to welcome a new year. As they drank, ate and talked, the members of the group felt somewhat at peace for the first time in over a year. The guilt still pressed down hard on them but they also recognised that there was nothing they could do to change what had happened, and they had lived up to their namesake: they had avenged everyone. “Hey how you doing these days pal?” Thor looked at Steve, around the room, down at his feet and then back at Steve. “Not as bad as I was. While it’s still my fault, I’m coming to terms with the fact I can’t change my failure. Plus, the fact that I have been able to find us Asguardians a new home does offer some small comfort,” he answered, taking a sip of his beer. Steve hummed in agreement, “I’m glad you’re doing better Thor, I’m glad everyone’s started finding things in life to focus on.” As he spoke Steve surveyed the room. Tony, Pepper and Rhodey were talking about Pepper’s pregnancy, now that her due date was weeks away; Nebula and Rocket were engaged in a game of chess; finally, Nat and Carol were sat together on the sofa, curled up at either end with a blanket draped over their legs as they drank wine and played a card game. “They really do love each other don’t they Cap?” Steve smiled at Thor, “You’re damn right they do; never thought I’d see the day Natasha fell in love. I’m happy for them.”  
  
    As midnight drew nearer, the avengers gathered around the fireplace to countdown on the clock above the mantel. Tony has his arm around Pepper, rubbing small circles on her sore shoulders. “Nat’s not proposing tonight is she Tony? That’ll be so cliche that it’s cute,” Pepper whispered quietly, causing Stark to chuckle. “Yeah I think she is actually, said something about kissing Danvers at midnight and then immediately asking her to marry her as she gets down on one knee.” Pepper smiled excitedly as she prepared for the event. Rhodey and Rocket sat together as Rhodey explained the significance of welcoming the new year. “Doesn’t it get boring doing it Year after year after year,” Rocket grumbled. “Well to be fair when it only happens briefly once a year....you can tolerate it,” Rhodey admitted. Stark checked his watch and told everyone to begin counting down the last thirty seconds. Carol and Nat stood holding each other’s hips as they passed the ten second mark. At five seconds to, the two women’s lips moved closer together, before they locked together precisely at the stroke of midnight. As they passionately explored each other’s mouths the remaining avengers watched patiently with glee. Once their lips parted both women immediately spoke the same sentence.

“Will you marry me?”

Tony burst into laughter at the two love bird’s extraordinary timing. As Carol and Nat stared at each other wide-eyed. As they processed the fact that they’d each just been proposed to, Nat got down on one knee and pulled out a diamond ring that was an almost exact replica of her promise ring off of Carol. “Carol Danvers, you’ve become everything to me since I met you and I want to spend everyday I have left as your wife. So will you?” Nat asked, her voice shaking slightly. Carol went down on her knee, mirroring Nat as she took the spy’s hands in hers. “It would be my honour Nat, I truly do love you, you know,” Carol whispered softly as Nat slipped the ring onto Carol’s left ring finger. The two women gazed into each other’s eyes and sealed their proposals with a kiss. As the two women stood, Tony began to clap enthusiastically and was quickly joined by all the others who all passed their congratulations around to Nat and Carol. The Avengers celebrated this rare moment of happiness for the rest of the night, thrilled to see some real happiness for the first time since the Decimation. 

    As tiredness took hold over the team, they slowly began retiring to bed with a feeling of hope for the first time in over a year “So....is it gonna be Carol Romanoff or Natasha Danvers?” Nat asked as she stroked with Carol’s long blonde hair. “Let’s just leave it as we are? Then we don’t belong to each other like a piece of property; we just belong together,” Carol replied, reaching up to kiss her fiancé. Nat let out a contented sigh as she hummed in agreement, “While what you said was cliche, it’s true and I love you for it.” Carol laughed lightly, “I love you too Romanoff.”


	10. An awesome leaving gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers set out their plans for the new year. As Carol prepares to leave, Nat delivers a parting gift she’ll never forget.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve struggled with a real bad case of writer’s block on this chapter, and I’m still not 100% happy with it. I guess it’s more of a filler chapter anyway, as the next few will have some proper story to them.
> 
> My updates may become less frequent now because I’m starting some other stories too. They won’t go down to once a week or anything that drastic, they're just unlikely to be every single day.
> 
> I also watched Endgame for the fifth time tonight and I swear I get more emotional each time. Nat’s (and Tony’s) death just kill me every. Single. Time. (No pun intended)

   “We need to start thinking of a wedding date Nat,” Carol said casually as she tried to brush her bed tangled hair into a decent looking style. Nat looked up from her book with a smile “Well I haven’t told you yet but.... Tony’s insisting on paying for everything so it’s not like we’ll have to save up for years or anything. I know you’d rather pay for it yourself but Stark won’t take no for an answer, he said it’s his Christmas and wedding present to us if that helps change your mind,” Nat said with an affectionate smile. Carol smiled warmly at Stark’s generosity but also felt a sharp pang of guilt at taking the man’s money to pay for her wedding to Natasha. As if sensing her fiancé’s thoughts, Natasha wrapped her arm around Carol and nestled her head into the crook of her neck,” Don’t feel guilty babe; I mean I could argue Stark owes me for saving his ass a lot over the years so this is like collecting the debt.” Carol laughed at Nat’s way of describing it before she surrendered, “Okay okay I’ll stop feeling guilty.”  
  
   Later that day, Nat, Carol, Rhodey, Rocket and Nebula were gathered in the conference room engaged in the meeting Nat had been dreading since Carol had returned. “I’m flying out to New Zealand for a while; their secret service are working with our own to track down human traffickers. Be good to stop those sick bastards,” Rhodey stated with a sigh. Carol’s lip twitched as she clenched her teeth so hard they started to hurt; it disgusted her- and everyone else for that matter- that evil people still alive in what was left of the world conducted their illegal activities even more frequently now that every form of law enforcement was severely short staffed. Rocket and Nebula planned to visit what was left of Xandar and see if they could help out at all. The planet was hopelessly disorganised since Thanos had slaughtered most of the population for the Power Stone. Rocket turned to Carol and crossed his arms, “What about you Captain Stardust? Where you going this time?” Carol snickered in response as she put her feet up on Nat’s lap. “My friend Talos needs me; he sent me a message two days back about the Kree remounting their hunt for Skrulls. Can’t sit by and let them slaughter innocents again. Plus I might get to end this Kree-Skrull war once and for all,” Carol stated hopefully as Nat squeezed her hand as she stood up to close the meeting. “Okay Avengers, we’ve all got our own missions to get ready for. Stay in contact as often as you can, the comm line to here is always open. If you need back up then you call in ASAP. Stay safe out there,” she said, concluding the meeting.  
   
     The Avengers had departed, leaving Carol, who sat on the edge of the table waiting for Nat. “You know I’m not leaving till morning.....” Carol said as she laced her fingers with her fiancé’s. “No I know....and I’ve got plans for us don’t you worry......but I’m more prepared this time, to let you go out there and kick ass I mean,” Nat said as she rubbed circles on the backs of Carol’s hands. “I’m glad you’ve chosen to help orphans while you’re here Nat, they need a role model in their life,” Carol said as she softly kissed Nat’s lips. “It seems nobody else is gonna help them let’s be honest; plus kids aren’t so bad I guess,” Nat replied, earning a laugh from her fiancé. As they stood there, Carol’s mind began to wonder and dream about the future. Maybe her and Nat would adopt one of the orphans after they got married? That’d be sweet, Carol would love a daughter to care for. “You’re thinking too loud again babe, Bruce can probably hear you from his lab,” Nat said as she kissed up and down Carol’s neck, causing the blonde to shudder slightly. “It’s just... you know how we’re getting married? Do you think we’ll ever, you know, have children?” Nat smiled as she continued kissing Carol’s neck before turning the blonde’s head to make eye contact. “You’re damn right we will, just don’t get competitive with who ever they love more,” Nat replied with a smug smirk. “I’ve got you an awesome leaving gift by the way,” Nat said as she led Carol down to their shared bedroom, sat her on the bed and sauntered into her walk-in wardrobe, leaving her fiancé confused on the bed for the next fifteen minutes.

    
    “Okay close your eyes or it’ll ruin the surprise,” Nat called from the wardrobe, to which Carol obeyed with piqued interest. “You can open them now; you know if you want to,” Nat replied nonchalantly. Carol was stunned by the sight before her. Natasha stood there in a two piece set of black lace lingerie, complimented by black stockings and heels. As Carol took in the curvature of her fiancé’s hips, the soft swell of her breasts and her long silky smooth legs, she felt a warm buzz growing between her thighs. She looked up at Nat; her shoulder length hair- now back to its natural shade of red- was lightly tousled around her face, which had simple yet beautiful makeup applied to it. A hint of maroon on her lips and a dab of eyeshadow to accentuate her green eyes made Nat look like a billion dollars.

 

   The redhead strutted over to Carol, who was sat on the edge of the bed lost for words. She gently cupped Carol’s cheeks and tilted her head up to her own face, “Aren’t you gonna compliment your gal on her new look Captain?” Carol attempted to splutter a response causing Nat to chuckle lightly as she planted a soft kiss on the blonde’s lips. “I love that I can make the strongest thing on the planet crumble so easily,” she stated smugly causing Carol’s face to turn an even deeper shade of red. “You look stunning Nat, absolutely stunning I didn’t even think it was possible for you to get any better,” Carol breathed out as Nat sat down in her lap and caressed her neck. “You flatter me Danvers.... but then again flattery gets you everywhere,” Nat whispered as she kissed her fiancé, their tongues fighting and exploring in each other’s mouths as Nat adjusted to straddle Carol’s waist. Carol ran her hand through Nat’s dark red head, tugging it slightly to pull her head back and allow Carol to begin nibbling at the spy’s neck. Nat forced Carol back down onto the bed, removing her white t-shirt in the process; as the two women’s hands roamed each other’s scantily clad bodies, Nat’s passion filled eyes met Carol’s, “I love you Carol Danvers, so fucking much,” the redhead breathed out, causing Carol to smile. Nat didn’t utter that phrase too often and so for Carol to hear it with such undying emotion made her heart skip a whole cluster of beats. “I love you too Nat; more than anything, now cmon....we aren’t done with each other yet,” Carol said as she unhooked Nat’s bra and began caressing and kissing her fiancé’s breasts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Carol’s going back to fight off the Kree again....maybe some old faces will show up? As for Nat deciding to help care for orphaned children, that comes from an interview I read with the screenwriters if Endgame who said in an early draft of the script, she was running a centre for orphaned children. I thought it would be an interesting way to take her character so I’m sticking with it.


	11. Here we go again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Carol responds to Talos’ message for help, she soon discovers she will be forced to revisit parts of her past she thought she’d never see again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it’s taken me a little while to update this one, I wasnt sure what problem I wanted Carol and Talos to be up against in this chapter. Anyway here it is, enjoy.

  
    “Carol....how’ve you been?” Danvers smiled warmly at the Skrull stood before her. “Couldn’t be better Tal; how about you? How’s the family?” Talos smiled fondly, “They’re doing great, you know everyday I can’t believe I was lucky enough for them to all survive with me. Anyway, let me fill you in before this conversation takes a sad turn,” he said as he ushered Carol over to a large computer screen. On the screen was a map of the region of space where Carol currently was, as she looked over the map, taking in various details about the Skrull’s new home, Talos spoke up, “So we’re here, on this planet and have been for the past twenty years. There’s no other large scale  
population here, just flora and fauna, but we trade with the neighbouring planets. Last week, our security system picked up a Kree scout high in the atmosphere. I don’t get how they’ve found us after so long.” Carol gritted her teeth as she eyed Talos, “They’ve been busy fighting off a lotta hostiles the past few years so probably couldn’t spare the soldiers to hunt you down. They’ve had to deal with Chiaturi, Nova Corps, Inhumans.... and me.” Talos laughed, “Im amazed there’s still a Kree empire left standing after that.” Carol smiled sadly, as she sat down, “Just because they’re weakened doesn’t mean they’re any less deadly to your people Tal; we need to get your people together and explain the situation; tell them all to lie low together.”  
  
      
     As Talos gathered together his co-leaders of the new Skrull world, Carol had begun researching the current condition of her former captors- the Kree. Hala had been totally ruined by the decimation. The majority of Kree to die were Starforce soldiers; leaving Hala largely undefended. However, the Kree’s reputation scared off many potential scavengers, meaning they’d been able to slowly rebuild their armed forces. It seemed until recently their main focus was rebuilding their own planet above anything else. Carol sighed as she reviewed her research data; she couldn’t understand why the Kree felt the need to start harassing the Skrulls again after all the destruction both races had suffered because of Thanos. As she took a bite of the food Talos had prepared for her, she began to think about her old Starforce team, wondering if any of them had survived Thanos. She hoped not; it was a part of her past that she didn’t want to confront. She hated them all and didn’t know if she could handle meeting them again. While it’s true she had nothing to prove to them, she also didn’t want to kill them for the sake of killing them.

      
      Carol rested her hand against her forehead and breathed deeply. She wished Nat was here; she’d know exactly what to say to ease Carol’s mind. “Something on your mind Carol?” As she raised her head to look up, she saw Talos leaning against the door frame with a concerned smile on his face. While their relationship had always been professional and somewhat military like; the Skrull and Human/Kree hybrid did genuinely care about each other, a thought that would’ve seemed impossible to either of them thirty years ago. “It’s nothing, really, I just....” she let out a sigh, feeling embarrassed about what she was about to say, “I miss my fiancé is all.” Talos laughed but affectionately rather than mockingly, but went silent after realising what Carol had said. “Wait you have a fiancé? Since when?” Now it was Carol’s turn to laugh, “Only a few weeks to be fair to you, you remember Natasha I used to tell you about last time I visited? The redhead one from the Avengers. That’s my new fiancé,” Carol said proudly. Talos smiled widely as he clapped a hand onto Carol’s shoulder, “I’m happy for you Carol, truly, it’s so good to see that you’ve found that special someone you’ve been missing.” Carol patted Talos’ hand affectionately as she rose from her chair, “Don’t get all mushy on me now Tal, we’ve still got a job to do,” she said as the pair of them headed back towards the command centre to continue drawing up a plan to deal with the Kree.  


     “Carol! Get up quickly! There’s another Kree scout ship entering the atmosphere!” Without a second of delay, Carol launched herself from her bed, slipped into her suit and ran, with Talos, to the landing pad of the Skrull’s governmental headquarters. “Talos, you stay here and prepare some holding cells. I won’t be long.” The Skrull looked at Carol with confusion but before he had a chance to question her next move, Captain Marvel was glowing as she raised off the ground and shot off into the upper atmosphere. “Sir there’s something coming toward us, the speed is incredible but it’s not a missile,” stated the Kree pilot as his commander turned around to look out of the cockpit of the ship. “Goddamnit I thought she was dead,” was all the commander was able to say before Danvers flew through the cockpit window, crippling the ship and sending it hurtling toward the planet below. As the ship fell, she picked up the two Kree scouts and shot out of the ship before it crashed into the forest below. As Carol returned to the surface, a squad of the Skrull security force was waiting to arrest the two Kree scouts, “Don’t worry about being gentle with them; they’re not as weak as they look,” was all Carol said before handing them over to the security team.  
  
    
      “Do you recognise either of them from your time on Hala?” Carol looked at the security camera feed with purses lips and a furrowed brow, she was sure she knew one of them but couldn’t remember his name. They had definitely served together in Starforce, that much she was sure of. Carol sighed, “I recognise the older one but can’t remember his name. We definitely served together way back when though.  


      “Well well....if it isn’t Vers herself. How’ve you been, traitor?” Carol looked at the prisoner nonchalantly as she sat down across the room from him. “Nice to see you too Att-Lass. How’s things on Hala?” Att-Lass sniggered at Danvers, “Get to the point Vers. The sooner this interrogation is over the better. Means I can escape quicker too so cmon already.” Carol smiled lightly before resting her hand on Att-Lass’s shoulder and suddenly squeezing it harshly, causing the Kree soldier to cry out in pain. “I want to know why you’re harassing Skrulls again. You Kree have had enough shit to deal with since Thanos so why come after them again? Surely it’s a waste of your now depleted resources?” When Att-Lass remained silent, Carol increased the pressure she was applying until he begged her to stop and began to spill every secret he knew. “They want you, Vers. That’s what this is about. The Intelligence has decreed that we need your body to understand your biology and thus improve the strength of all future Kree descendants. Since your biology is a mixture of human, Kree and infinity stone, you’re practically unbeatable. That’s the future for all Kree.” Carol removed her hand and silently stared at her prisoner, trying to process what she had just been told. They wanted her; after all this time they’d decided to hunt her again. Carol walked to the door, “So they thought by harassing the Skrull’s, I’d come running to help right? Gotta say that’s actually pretty clever,” she said casually, causing Att-Lass to furrow his brow. Carol merely smiled, “Take him back to a cell, I’m done for now.” As Carol exited the room, Talos approached her with a grave look on his face. “So now we know why they’re after us. What are we going to do.” Carol looked at him then back at the door she had just come through. “We’re going to beat them at their own game.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next two, possibly three chapters won’t focus too heavily on Nat and Carol interacting but rather how they cope with being away from each other in the years between Infinity War and Endgame. Hopefully you’ll all enjoy it.


	12. Are you sure about this?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nat decides she can help people in better ways rather than just sitting in the Avenger’s compound waiting for her team to report back. Steve isn’t so sure it’s a good idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I’ve taken over a week to update when I usually update every few days, I’ve just had a real hard time writing chapters for all my works, not just this one. But here’s the next one; it’s not really a development in their relationship but it’s similar to the last one as we see how Nat is doing while Carol is away. They’ll be reunited soon though.

  
     “Are you sure about this? You’ve never been that fond of kids excluding Barton’s.” Nat sighed at Steve’s response to her announcement. “Look Steve I need to do something other than sit here on my ass and wait for you guys to send me your monthly reports. I literally spend my days training, liaising with government organisations and trying to co-ordinate resources so that they go to those most affected by the snap. Helping these kids is just another small thing I can do to try and help out in the grand scheme of things.” Steve took a long sip of coffee and looked at Nat, who smiled softly in return. “You’re right....as usual. But don’t work yourself to death alright, or I’ll kill you.” Nat laughed as she walked around the table to stand behind Steve’s chair. “Aye aye Captain, I promise not to work myself to death.” Steve chuckled as he intertwined Nat’s hand with his own, “I love you Romanoff,” he whispered as he kissed the back of her hand softly. “I love you too Captain Rogers,” she replied, gently kissing his cheek.  


     Nat’s SUV pulled into the parking lot of the city council chambers just past midday. She exited her vehicle and strode into the reception area, exuding confidence. “Can I help you Ma’am?” Nat smiled warmly at the receptionist. “Yeah I’ve got a 12:15 with Councilmen Rico and Heck. Romanoff is the name,” The receptionist’s eyes flicked over her computer screen and focused on the aforementioned appointment. The receptionist asked Nat to take a seat and left her alone to fetch the councilmen. As she looked around the reception area, she began to think about her choice to lead an adoption agency. Unlike a adoption agency, this one was specifically for children who had lost their parents to the Decimation. So many children had wondered from house to house after watching their parents turn to ash only moments ago. Thankfully, many of them had other relatives to go and live with but a vast amount had nobody. Local governments and churches had gathered all the orphaned children they could find and were currently housing them in boarding schools while trying to figure out what to do with them; but their quarters were far too cramped and institutions just couldn’t keep up.

 

      The idea of establishing a new type of adoption agency seemed like common sense to Nat, and so naturally she suggested it to a friend of her’s on the city council who then passed it on to the rest of the council. After a few days Nat heard back and was invited to be the project leader. Of course she jumped at the chance to help out and save as many childhoods as she could, seeing as her own had been stolen away from her. The sound of clicking heels roused Nat from her thoughts as she looked up to see the receptionist followed by the two councilmen. “Good afternoon Miss Romanoff; shall we get down to business?”  


      As Steve sipped his coffee and continued reading his book, the door to the common room creaked open. Nat slumped down in the armchair opposite Steve’s own and sighed heavily. “That bad huh?” Nat smiled half heartedly at the Captain, “Well things are going ahead, they just don’t have money spare to house the kids on a long term basis; the city council reckons that the State Governor’s office can give me enough money to last six months. It’s not enough Steve; I want to set this program up across the country, hell maybe even the world and it’s frustrating that I can’t.” Steve put down his book and leaned forward in his chair. “Look Nat, big things like this take time. Plus look at it this way; if the state will give you a enough money to last six months after one meeting then think what you’ll have six months from now, after you’ve shown how successful it’s going to be. Be patient Nat and it’ll work.” Nat sighed and stretched out her arms. “Hey Steve? Let’s go out for dinner like we always used to... please?” Steve smiled widely and leapt out of the chair he was sat in. “Sure why not, cmon already let’s go. What do you want- Italian? Mexican?” Nat only laughed as they headed toward the garage.  


      “Hey! Captain Rogers, Miss Romanoff so lovely to see you again! It’s been too long!” Nat and Steve exchanged pleasantries with Stanley who directed them to their regular table at the back, more private end of the restaurant. “Stanley tells me that you and Carol are frequent visitors here these days,” Steve said with a quirked eyebrow, causing Nat to roll her eyes. “Yes I take Danvers to one of the best restaurants around. Thanks for taking me here all those years ago by the way Steve; I genuinely love it here and it’s also some of the best food I’ve ever had.” As the two best friends sat together and talked, Nat felt her mind wondering towards her fiancé for the first time this week. It’s not that she deliberately didn’t think about Carol; it’s just that she’d be so busy this week, the redhead had hardly had time to eat a decent meal. However, Nat felt that having all weekend to think about her fiancé and their forthcoming wedding was worth the super busy week. 

      Steve, who had noticed a slightly distant look in Nat’s eyes and her dreamy smile, laughed lightly, “Thinking of the other blonde in your life Nat?” Steve’s question snapped Nat out of her daze as she flushed a deep shade of red. “Sorry I just realised I haven’t really thought about her much so far this week, too busy to even eat properly some days.” Steve chewed a mouthful of food as he listened then paused thoughtfully for a moment. “Look after yourself Nat; Carol won’t be happy if she comes back to the former shell of her fiancé. Plus you need to be there for all these kids you’re going to help. But don’t forget I’m always here for you if you need anything,” Steve said warmly as he took Nat’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Thanks Steve, truly. Now let’s stop talking business and enjoy the rest of the evening.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m going to update this one as soon as I can to make it up to you for taking a while, it’ll definitely have one more chapter (at minimum) by next Wednesday. Also I don’t know if anyone reading this is into the comics but my two councilmen are named after two guys who worked on Nat’s debut issue- Tales Of Suspense 52. Don Heck was the penciller who drew for the issue and Don Rico was the co-writer with Stan Lee (who’s own cameo character has popped up again in this chapter!). Without these three guys we wouldn’t have the character we love so I thought including a little tribute to them would be sweet. Thanks for reading.


	13. Return to Hala

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carol and Talos devise a plan to undermine the Kree’s interest in Carol’s biology.

  
The situation with the Kree had developed steadily, over he past month, ever since Carol had captured Att-Lass; every week, another Kree ship came scouting but always fled back to the stars before it could be taken out by Carol.Att-Lass still refused to talk to anyone other than his other Kree cell mates which did not surprise Carol at all.

 

On the flip side, however; Talos had managed to get three Skrull agents planted at Kree stations around the local star system as well as two on Hala itself. The agents had been able to confirm that the Kree had no interest in the Skrulls anymore and were merely harassing them to get a hold of Carol; much like Att-Lass had told them. At least he was honest for once, Carol had mused at the time.

 

The past few days, however, had consisted mainly of Carol and Talos arguing over their next step. Carol wanted to get herself over to Hala and effectively surrender to find out the Kree plans; whereas, Talos wanted to allow his agents more time to uncover the true nature of the Kree’s plan in a more stealth-based way. “Look I’m telling you that if you waltz in there and surrender then you’re going to die. End of.” Carol grunted in frustration at Talos as she rose from her chair. “I’m doing it anyway. That’s the end of it. They’ll not think it’s suspicious because they’re all far too arrogant to imagine I’ve got a plan. And even if they do think I’ve got a plan, their arrogance will convince them that they don’t need to worry. Trust me Tal, it’s the best way.” Talos huffed in resignation. “Okay fine. But the minute I don’t like where things are going, I’m ordering my disguised agents to get you out. Regardless of if they’ve told you anything.”

 

As Carol approached the Kree controlled sector of the galaxy that surrounded Hala she had an usual feeling of dread. Carol Danvers very rarely felt fear these days, mainly due to the fact that her entire body had the power of an infinity stone and could handle a fight with anyone she’d met so far. Carol theorised that her dread was not for herself but for other people if her plan were to go wrong. Now that she had Natasha, Carol found herself more concerned with her own safety than she ever had been before. She couldn’t bare to lose Natasha; and was sure it would quite literally kill her. Carol knew that Nat felt the same about her, and that’s why she promised to come back to her fiancé in one piece. Captain Marvel was always willing to put others before herself and that would never change. As Carol entered the upper atmosphere, four small star-fighters were hot on her tail with another four flying beneath her. Slowly, she came to a halt in mid-air and waited for the Kree to communicate.

 

As Carol floated high above the mixture of ruined and restored buildings below, she suddenly felt uneasy at the silent treatment she was receiving from all of the star-fighters that were surrounding her. While she was distracted by her unusually high nerves, Carol didn’t realise all of the small fighters had locked their weapons onto her and each fired a small dart at her. Carol realised too late that she’d been shot at, as several of the darts pierced her body, slicing through her suit and skin like a hot knife through butter. Almost immediately; Carol’s senses dulled and she dropped forward in the air, before she blacked out completely, and began rapidly falling to the planet below.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it’s only short but I’m back into his story 100% now and will almost certainly have it complete by Christmas. I’ve written the very last couple of chapters and am now working to bridge the gap from this chapter to them. I hope all my original readers are back to enjoy the story, as well as some new readers too.


	14. An Old Teammate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carol has been captured by the Kree once again. Will she find out what they want from her?

    “She’s waking up! Get those weapons focused on her now!” All Carol saw was a bright white fog with smeared blobs of colour that she assumed were Kree scientists and soldiers. Her head felt foggy and she was unable to concentrate on more than one thing at a time. Carol closed her eyes and then opened them slowly a few times, which thankfully improved her foggy vision somewhat. She noticed that she was strapped down to a medical table at the ankles, wrists, neck and abdomen, making it almost impossible to move. “What’re her vital signs reading at?” Asked an unmistakable voice from across the room. Carol’s vision finally focused completely, and she locked her eyes onto a man she hoped she’d never see again. 

Yon-Rogg

 

    “Vers! So nice to see you again after all these years.” Carol eyed Yon-Rogg and then rolled her eyes to express her tired frustration at her former mentor. She sighed deeply, “Enough with the pleasantries, what do you want from me this time?” Carol’s attitude angered Yon-Rogg who marched over to Carol and slapped her across her left cheek, causing her head to swing to the left. “You’ll show me some respect Vers; unless you want your Skrull friends slaughtered as they run for their pathetic lives,” he spat venomously as he turned away from her and grabbed hold of the chief scientist in the room. “Run your first set of tests, take any samples you need, then sedate her and lock her up,” he ordered before he stormed out of the room.

 

The eldest of the scientists in the lab approached Carol cautiously with a long thin needle in his right hand. He ran his eyes over Carol’s body and then started tapping her arm to find a suitable vein for his needle. As Carol lay there helplessly she began cursing herself internally; of course Talos was right about how to approach the Kree but would Carol listen? Not at all; she had been her usual over confident self and ignored his pleas. She felt like an absolute idiot; but as her thoughts filled her mind, she suddenly felt like she could sleep for a thousand years and turned to her left as quickly as she could. There, she saw a different, shorter syringe sticking out of her arm as the scientist pushed down the plunger, allowing a pale green to fill her veins. All Carol could do was mutter some curse words at the scientific as she slipped into unconsciousness once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little filler chapter to wrap up Carol’s P.O.V for the time being, it’s back to Nat for a few chapters now.


	15. Catching up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha heads into New York City, desperate to escape the boredom of the Avengers compound, when she runs into an old friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So turns out I had this chapter written way back in October but didn’t realise. I’ve revised a few bits here and there but I’m not a massive fan of the chapter as a whole. It’s basically a filler chapter for you all whilst I try and crack on with some more plot based ones. Do please enjoy and stay safe out there.

The high pitched blare of an alarm clock woke Natasha from her light sleep. The redhead rolled onto her back and rubbed her eyes as she stretched her body, which was stiff from sleep. She sighed at the ceiling; it had been eight months since she’d last seen Carol and Nat was starting to feel lonelier than she ever thought possible. Nat let out a huff of a laugh; before she met Carol, she could spend weeks without any human contact and feel more relaxed than was good for her. But now she was engaged, it drove her crazy to not have Carol around. You can’t miss it until you’ve had it Nat summarised as she sat up in bed. The super spy yawned softly and pulled back the warm covers as her feet touched the cold wooden floor, causing her to wince slightly at the tingling sensation shoot across the soles of her feet.

 

Natasha padded softly into the kitchen area of the vast compound that was home to the Avengers, and began preparing a freshly ground mug of coffee. As the strong aroma filled the air, Nat contemplated her surroundings. The compound was always quiet these days- Nat practically lived alone here most days- but first thing in the morning it had a kind of peaceful tranquility to it; birds could be heard faintly tweeting outside in the surrounding woodland, the river running past the compound added a low-end harmony to the birdsong, which all in all summed up a natural melody. The black granite worktops in the kitchen reflected the sunlight around the room, illuminating whitewashed walls and the few contemporary art pieces adorning the aforementioned walls. The redhead sipped her coffee slowly and smiled at fond memories that were resurfacing to the forefront of her mind. 

 

Natasha remembered Tony’s infamous “final birthday party” from way back when with a grimace and a giggle; she remembered the first Christmas the team had spent together almost eight years ago- Thor had brought Asguardian mead which knocked Steve out cold after a whole bottle and left Tony with his head in the toilet with Bruce checking up on him frequently for most of Boxing Day after one glass. Nat let out another fond laugh as her mind drifted towards thoughts about Bruce. Part of her always wondered what would’ve become of their relationship had it developed further, but at the same time, Nat was confident it would’ve ended in heartbreak. Not long after Bruce had left but before the whole Accords mess, Natasha began digging into her very distant past, in an effort to discover more about herself and her family history. What she had discovered horrified her and left her feeling disgusting and ashamed to the point where she spent two weeks in a vodka fuelled hibernation in some godforsaken apartment on the outskirts of Vorkuta. The guilt and disgust Nat had felt during this fortnight had reached its peak when she had attempted to end her own life, failing only because she was too drunk to wound herself fatally. Nat knew in her heart that if anyone found out what she had done and had done to her, they’ve would never be able to see her the same way again. She rose from her stool and headed towards the gym, hoping to work the sadness out of herself for the next few hours.

 

As a freshly showered and slightly sore Natasha sipped on her mug of black coffee, she slouched back and began reading a file that was laying open on her desk. Her agency had re-homed around one million American and Canadian children, and would soon begin expanding into Europe and Asia to help orphaned children there. Natasha smiled softly to herself; she felt proud of her and her co-worker’s efforts in this post-decimation world, at rehousing children and giving them a chance at life again. Fury would be proud of her. She missed that secretive old bastard like a fish misses water; he and Clint had saved her life and shown her her true purpose in life all those years ago. Clint. The very thought of him made her tear up. After the Decimation, Nat has gone to his family homestead as quickly as she could. However, she found nothing but four simple grave markers placed alongside the house and an envelope on Clint’s bedside table with her name on it. 

 

Natasha,  
By the time you read this- if you’re even still alive that is- I will have long gone from this place, this “home” I had built for myself. They’re gone, Natasha, all four of them disappeared before I could even turn around. Never even got to say goodbye. I know what I need to do now and I know where to start. Please, don’t come looking for me. You won’t find the Clint you know and love. I love you Nat, please stay alive and keep moving on.   
Clint.

 

Since the decimation two and a half years ago, Natasha had always left her and Clint’s underground comm line wide open and kept running worldwide scans of various intel channels in the hope she could find him and bring him home. So far she hasn’t heard the slightest thing about or from Clint but she kept believing that he would come back; she needed him to. The redhead sighed as she closed the file and headed towards the garage, desperate to escape the compound, which was increasingly feeling like a prison to her.

A small bell above the door jingled as Natasha entered to small Brooklyn coffee shop, alerting the barista to her presence. The barista couldn’t have been more than twenty years old with medium length brown hair that was slicked back. He was aimlessly wiping the counter before Natasha approaches; evidently bored at the total lack of customers. “Hi... can I just get a large black coffee please,” Nat asked politely. “Sure! Grab yourself a seat and I’ll bring it over; it’s not like I’ve got any other customers to worry about,” the barista replied jokingly. As Nat pulled out her wallet to pay the young man waved his hand out and shook his head. “Please no need to pay for it. You’ve done so much for all of us, a free coffee is the least I can do in return,” he explained with a timid smile. Nat opened her mouth to argue but closed it again and smiled back, slightly embarrassed. “Thank you, that means a lot.” As Nat waited patiently for her coffee to arrive, the bell above the door rang again. Nat looked up in surprise as she saw Bruce walking towards her. “Hey Nat... mind if I sit?” He asked cautiously. Nat stood up and wrapped her arms around him, cherishing the feel of human contact with her old friend and former flame. “Of course I don’t mind, I haven’t seen you in ages. I gotta ask though, how’d you know I was here?” As Bruce sat down he chuckled, “I was visiting an old lab partner of mine from my lecturing days a block away and saw your car parked outside. Thought it was worth sticking my head in to see if you were here,” Bruce explained casually as he took a seat. The friends chatted idly for a few minutes, enjoying each other’s company. “So, uh, I’ve been thinking about the other guy a lot lately, and it hit me- I’ve always thought of him as a problem that I need to get rid of. What if he’s actually some sort of cute?” Natasha choked on her coffee slightly at Bruce’s apparent change of heart regarding the Hulk. “That’s an interesting new way of looking at it Bruce. Have you thought about how this might end up affecting your research” Natasha asked quizzically, as she dabbed the small coffee splatters around her mouth. Bruce sighed dejectedly, “Nope not in the slightest. The theory only came to me a few days ago so I’m still trying to process it all in my head. It’s taking a little while. That’s why I went to see my buddy actually; he’s a biophysicist. I wanted to see if he had any ideas. Short answer is he doesn’t.” Natasha and Bruce spent a further half an hour talking- consisting mainly of bringing Bruce up to speed on the current situation regarding the Avengers- before Nat was pulled away for her weekly video meeting with her team. The scientist and spy bid each other a fond farewell as Nat got into her car and headed back to the compound.


End file.
